How is ivory harvested

With more tigers kept captive than living wild, the scope of poaching can not be overstated. To have any hope of achieving this, poaching must be stopped. Discover how smugglers move poached ivory from Africa to the Chinese market. Explore the issues of supply and demand that fuel the illegal trade in ivory, and go undercover to learn about the rising prices of black-market ivory.

Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Background Info Questions Vocabulary. Why is it important to be aware of the history of the ivory trade?

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Media If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. Text Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Interactives Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Related Resources. View Collection. African elephant tusks can be up to 10 feet long three meters and weigh up to pounds 90 kilograms , although most tusks of elephants living today are smaller.

In much the same way that humans are right- or left-handed, elephants can be either right- or left-tusked, and their dominant tusk is usually smaller from wear. Elephant ivory has been considered a valued luxury material across cultures and continents for millennia. Ivory artifacts have been found on archaeological sites in Africa, Asia, and Europe, providing evidence of widespread trading. Prized for its beauty and usefulness, ivory is durable, relatively easy to carve in fine detail, and has a smooth, lustrous appearance.

In comparison to teeth or tusks from other animals, elephant ivory has been favored because of its large size and homogenous appearance. Ivory can be sawed, carved, engraved, turned on a lathe, and polished to a high shine. It can also be bleached, stained with dyes and colorants, or painted. It is important to note that this historical use of ivory in Africa was limited, generally reserved for individuals of high status and did not put elephant populations at risk.

These animals were seen as powerful and dangerous, and owning ivory was a status marker. Ivory topped staffs, such as those made by Kongo and Attie carvers, were carried as symbols of authority and wealth. Before the widespread use of guns and electric carving tools, elephant hunting and ivory carving were specialized occupations.

Within the Benin kingdom, elephant hunting and the distribution of its meat were regulated by the oba king. For every elephant killed, one tusk belonged to the king and one could be sold. Ivory was traded widely from the 15th through the 19th centuries and was prized as a luxury item not only in Africa but throughout Europe and other parts of the world. Ivory carvings were also commissioned by foreign kings.

The carved hunting horn made in the late 15th century by a Bullom or Temne artist was given as a gift by Prince Manuel of Portugal to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. With increased trade, carvers not only made items for local use but also made souvenirs for sale to foreigners.

Ivory was also exported as a raw material, and became popular for mass-produced objects such as piano keys, billiard balls, knife handles, jewelry, and other novelties. Beginning in the 20th century, the quality and applications of plastics replaced many of the utilitarian functions of ivory. However, the international demand for ivory has continued to increase. Today, elephants are hunted at rates higher than in which they can naturally reproduce.

The contemporary demand for ivory has been compared to that of diamonds, in that they are both natural materials with little inherent value but their culturally constructed value, as a status symbol, is high. Similarly, the demand for both materials in wealthy parts of the world causes violence and destruction in the areas where these natural materials are found. Currently the country with the highest demand for ivory is China, followed by Japan, Thailand, and the United States.

The goals of recently publicized ivory crush-and-burn events, aside from removing ivory from the market, are to reverse the idea of ivory as a status symbol and shrink its market value, in an effort to decrease demand and illegal hunting. With increased human populations and activities such as land development, infrastructure construction, logging, and mining, elephants are losing their habitats and facing declining populations. The greatest threat, by far to elephants today however, is poaching illegal killing , spurred by the global demand for ivory.

Unlike deer that shed and regrow their antlers yearly, elephants do not shed their tusks; they must be killed or severely injured to harvest their ivory. Poachers and sellers are part of an illegal, underground black market that is connected with other types of illegal activity, such as terrorist groups. Ivory consumption also has a human cost. While rangers have the challenging job of protecting animals, they also face personal risk and may be estranged from their communities for carrying out their duties.

Conversely, individuals may turn to poaching as a means of supporting their families and, if arrested or killed in the process, may leave their families without a provider.

African elephants are particularly susceptible to poaching because local authorities face challenges in oversight and protection due to limited government resources and difficulties in accessing their habitats. African elephants are likely to become endangered and face a high risk of extinction in the future. The World Wildlife Fund estimates there are approximately , African elephants in the wild today, compared to three to five million during the 19th century.

During the s African elephant populations decreased by almost 50 percent. Since monitoring began approximately 30 years ago, has been the worst year on record, with the largest amount of illegal ivory confiscated worldwide. It has been estimated that 35, elephants are illegally killed each year for their ivory.

Asian elephants are still threatened by poaching but not all Asian elephants have tusks. Regulations differ depending on the source of the ivory, whether from African or Asian elephants. A summary of common questions related to African elephant ivory regulations is presented below. These laws are complex and subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, contact the U. Trained rangers in these parks are the first line of defense against poachers.

Additionally, many wildlife protection organizations such as the FWS African Elephant Conservation Fund , World Wildlife Fund , and Wildlife Conservation Society , partner with local agencies and communities in Africa to support elephant conservation initiatives. These activities include monitoring elephant populations, protecting habitats, implementing anti-poaching tactics, tracking illegal trade, and increasing education.

Elephant populations in some protected areas, such as in Kenya and Tanzania have stabilized or increased due to these conservation methods. The greatest numbers of African elephants today are found in northern Botswana, followed by Tanzania. Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian is committed to raising awareness of the illegal poaching of elephants and the illicit trade of ivory. Hongxiang Huang, a Chinese journalist and anti-ivory campaigner, explains: "As people become wealthier they want to buy luxury items, and ivory is one of the many things that people desire.

This is the situation in China. For buyers wanting an alternative to elephant ivory that still comes from a mammal but is ethically sourced, the answer comes from under the frozen Siberian tundra in the north east of Russia.

It may sound bizarre, but the tusks from woolly mammoths that died tens of thousands of years ago are mined on a regular basis. While official figures are not available, an estimated 60 tonnes of mammoth ivory is harvested each year.

This is about a third of the price of elephant ivory, but giant mammoth tusks in good condition can fetch far more. John Frederick Walker, an expert on ivory, says: "Master carvers tend to prefer elephant ivory because fresh elephant ivory is easier to carve.

Yet with tagua far easier to get hold of than mammoth ivory, and considerably cheaper, it is the South American seeds that is increasingly being used by jewellers, and not the Siberian tusks.

Ms Andron, 27, travels to Ecuador twice a year to oversee the production of the tagua that is done by seven local women at a cooperative. While Nodova's largest markets are France and the UK, it sells to stores across Asia and Ms Andron says that the forthcoming blanket ban on ivory sales in China offers a huge opportunity.

Image source, Ivonne Wierink. The tagua seed reaches 9cm 3. Image source, Naya Nayon. Onno Heerma van Voss had never heard of tagua before he moved to Ecuador. Image source, Nodova. Tagua has a very similar feel to ivory, but is a fraction of the price.

Elephant plant. Image source, Getty Images.